


Hair.

by unrefined_mediocrity



Category: Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Help, I don't know what I'm doing, Mostly clone wars, One Shot Collection, Order 66, Smidge of Rebels for funsies, rexsoka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:00:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23811958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unrefined_mediocrity/pseuds/unrefined_mediocrity
Summary: Just a lil collection of one shots following the development of Rex and Ahsoka's relationship over the years, all somehow relating to Rex's hair because why not.
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex/Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 12
Kudos: 210





	Hair.

**Author's Note:**

> I am not Disney. These bad boys ain't mine.
> 
> Also, we'll see how (in)accurate the Order 66 part is in a few weeks. :(
> 
> PLEASE LEAVE CRITICISMS I want to improve.

"What does hair feel like?'

Rex pauses mid bite, one eyebrow offering a bemused arch as he meets the gaze of his Commander. Ahsoka has simply materialized into the seat across from him, seemingly unaffected by the general chaos of the mess hall around them. Rex knows better than to try to ask.

Pushing his tray aside, he rests his elbows on the table and leans, exposing the hair on the top of his head. 

"You sure?"

"Hurry, Littl'un, or my neck'll start to hurt."

Ahsoka gives a light snort, and lands heavily enough to push Rex's face towards the table. He tries to stifle his laughter as she pats his head like he's some sort of dog. "There's no way you haven't felt hair before."

She moves into longer strokes. "Well, yeah, when we were younglings, but that was awhile ago. And I've never felt _your_ hair."

He eyes her from beneath his brows, head still lowered. "There's nothing special about my hair, Commander. We're all the same. You could ask to pet anyone in here and they'd probably say yes outta fear."

"But yours is so short," she counters. "I figured that would make a difference." Her focus shifts back to her fingers, which are failing to curl his hair into small tufts. "Its a lot softer than I thought." 

Rex considers her for a moment. "You wanna help me cut it?'

Ahsoka's hand falls to the table. "Uh. Rex."

"Yes, Commander?"

"I don't have hair."

"So?"

 _"So,"_ she presses, flicking his arm, "I have no idea what to do with it. I'll mess it up."

"No, you won't." Rex pushes himself up and grabs his tray, motioning for her to follow. "Its just a razor with a thin guard, so that I can get it real short without taking it all off. You really _can't_ mess it up, or I would've already."

With a great deal of hesitation, she trails after him. "Fine."

\---

"How do I even _hold_ this?"

Perched on his 'fresher counter, Ahsoka scrutinizes the instrument between her fingertips. Rex flashes her a quick grin. "You're overthinking it, Littl'un. It's not that bad."

She squints at the razor with mock disdain. "It's so _barbaric-_ "

"Just-" his shortness brings a smirk to her lips. "-here."

Guiding her hand, he moves the razor over his head. The awe on his Commander's face as she surveys the new stripe sends him leaning into the counter. She adds her own soft laugh as her fingers memorize the area. 

"It's like I'm mowing the Temple greenspace."

She swiftly finishes the job, only trying once to leave Rex with a tuft of long hair in the back, which he quickly finds. After brushing the fragments of hair off his blacks, she hops off the counter. He throws her a stiff salute.

"Thank you for your service, Commander."

She salutes back, the faintest trace of a smile slipping through. "Always happy to assist, Captain."

He gets one more pat for good measure before she's out the door. 

* * *

It's become a sort of game between them; or, rather, the most insignificant argument that refuses to leave the ground.

"Just a little bit."

"Absolutely not."

Rex continues down the corridor as Ahsoka trails eagerly behind. They've been at it for over a year now. 

"Come _on._ You've kept it the same length since you joined the 501st. Probably since you were a cadet, knowing you."

She's absolutely right, and Rex won't give her the satisfaction. "Why change something that doesn't need fixing?"

"Because it's _temporary._ Just get lazy for a few weeks, see what happens."

"Oh, promoting poor hygiene, are we?"

From the corner of his eye he can spy her dancing around his heels. "Rex. Just _once,_ for me. Then I'll let it go. Promise."

"No good, Commander." Rex lengthens his strides, Forcing Ahsoka into a near jog. He can't help the grin that splits his face. "See, the longnecks already branded everything else; my hair and skin's the only thing left that's _mine,_ and I don't do needles. The rest of me may come from the reg manual, but this hair here's my little snippet of freedom."

He's still smiling when he hears her footsteps falter. 

_Fuck._

"Rex?" 

There's a coolness between his fingers that issues a gentle tug, turning him so he's facing his Commander. The markings above her eyes scrunch upwards as she searches for any sign of offence.

_Great job, you kriffing idiot._

"Rex, I - I'm sorry." Ahsoka's voice is decades older, and he finds himself wishing he could take everything back. "I didn't mean to invade. Of _course_ you should do what you want; I wish this life had given you more to-"

Still cursing himself, Rex cups her shoulder in his hand, unintentionally drawing her silent. _This_ is why he has come to adore her, why his respect for her rises higher than even that for the General. He's never known anyone to care for his brothers as deeply as she does, especially as a Jedi, and it nearly breaks his heart. She's a rare one. 

"Commander, it's alright. Really. Your concern means... well, more than you realize, but you haven't done anything to hurt me. I know the respect you have for us. Hell," he smirks, giving her shoulder a light push, "you're probably more of an activist than any clone out there."

After a second, she returns the smile, albeit subdued. "Probably."

Rex brings her to his side. "But I'm still not growing it out."

"...Damn."

\-- Two weeks later --

"Commander." 

Ahsoka's head snaps up far too quickly, leaving Rex chuckling as she flinches against the new kink in her neck. Call her paranoid, but she's seen... less... of him in the last few weeks, and it'd gotten her worried. Yes, they were side by side on the field, but when the fighting stopped...

Well, usually he'd stick around. "Hey, Rex." 

Her concern was that, despite her Captain's claim, she _had_ hit a sore spot in their last conversation, one he wasn't going to openly admit. 

Apparently not.

"Lemme show you something."

She follows him off the main deck of the _Resolute_ towards the bunks, still struggling to find the reason for his return. 

"...Is it a good thing, bad thing?"

His helmeted face offers no answer. 

He leads her to his quarters where, after another unsuccessful interrogation, Ahsoka is nudged into the 'fresher. She can only stare blankly at her confused reflection. 

"I don't get it."

In one motion, the helmet comes off, and she's met with the absolute _dumbest_ smile her Captain has ever worn, and-

"Oh. My. _God,_ Rex, I-"

His platinum hair is at _least_ two centimetres long, manipulated into an uneven mess of cowlicks from the helmet. The sections that have escaped his bucket's wrath poke straight out from his head, so that the light from the 'fresher ceiling creates a glowing halo around his face. 

And it's _hilarious._

"What, you don't like it?" Rex teases, gleaming eyes following her frame as she stumbles back in laughter. He leans into his reflection and gives the mess a quick sweep with his fingers. "I thought it looked good. Grew a little fast, though."

Short of breath, Ahsoka clambers onto the counter and reaches for his head. The hair is impossibly soft, and _entirely_ out of control. It refuses to hold any form when she attempts to style it, disobeying even the generous amount of water she steals from the sink behind her. Instead, it only makes his hair more reflective in the light, bringing on another bout of laughter that loosens her footing and sends her tumbling to the 'fresher floor. 

The sight of her Captain joining her on the tiles, his face a rare shade of pink, becomes ingrained in Ahsoka's mind. His amber eyes have come to life, shining with an intensity matched only by the full toothed grin he so rarely shares. This is the Rex to whom so few are given access, and she absolutely _adores_ him.

* * *

Her hands find their routine against his head, and once again, it feels... different. The war has gone on for far too long, changed Rex and his Commander in ways he couldn't have ever prepared for. They've become so broken, suffered so many losses; but this...

He'd only meant to escort Ahsoka back to her quarters. Their banter had brought them to the early morning, as it nearly always did; and while the _Resolute_ held no threats to the Commander's safety, Rex still felt compelled to see her to her destination. That, and he couldn't bring himself to leave her just yet. 

He loves everything about her. Ahsoka carries in her a sort of joy, a _radiance_ that simply can't be contained. It has seeped into his very being and kept him beyond alive, always at her heels as she leads them through countless battles, saving his life at least as many times as he has preserved hers. She is confident, intelligent; yet empathetic in a way Rex didn't know was possible. It is a kindness his upbringing vowed he'd never receive. 

And now, as they're standing in her quarters, he cannot help but be in love. He loves the gentleness of her touch against his cropped hair, and he loves the coolness of her skin as he brushes a tentative knuckle against her lekku. Her gaze latches onto his, and it is with a similar cautiousness that Rex brings his hand up to catch Ahsoka's chin. Her lips seem to have stolen the heat from the rest of her body, leaving his own lips tingling even as the Captain falls back, awaiting his Commander's response. For once, he doesn't recognize what he sees in her eyes.

With startling intensity, the hand in his hair pulls him back down to meet her kiss as she curves her body into his, her free hand pressing against his back. His own hands slowly search her athletic frame, memorizing every inch of her beauty. He is hopelessly in love with her. 

\- _And even after she has left him behind, left the Jedi and the war and everything they've found together, he still feels the ghost of her fingers in his hair, and can hardly bear the weight of his love for her._

* * *

"Why?"

_She finally had him. Maul. Too many clones and Nite Owls had given their lives just to have him bound in the cell of her ship, but for all the anger she'd thrown at Obi-Wan, she still respected him. And he advised capture._

_Bo Katan had remained to hold control over Mandalore, and the 332nd followed her through hyperspace. Ahsoka was finally, for once, at peace. Maul would be delivered to the Jedi Council, and from there..._

"Rex, why?"

_It was then that she nearly slid to the floor, her montrals splitting against the screams echoing throughout the entire galaxy. Images flashed before her eyes: Jedi she'd been raised by, grown with, loved, all shredding under blaster fire from... from..._

_Rex's hands, encircling her shoulders in an attempt to soothe her, suddenly froze. Behind them, the doors hissed open, and her men, with helmets painted in her own image, prepared to fire. It was then that Rex slammed her to the ground, forcing her back into reality, and began his defense. His brothers dropped faster than she'd ever seen, and her blue sabers soon hummed to life._

"Rex, _look at me!_ "

Ahsoka wrenches the now Commander's arm toward her as his gaze numbly traces the empty cabin. Maul has escaped, and they're more than alone. This is the only space in the ship that doesn't hold dead bodies. 

Rex finally turns to her, but says nothing. His entire body is attacked by tremors, one after the other, and Ahsoka can only watch. What has just _happened_ to him, to _her?_ To the entire _galaxy?_

"Please," she whispers, the collar of her tunic already soaked, "just tell me _why_."

When he still remains silent, she releases his arm in favor of his shoulders and _shakes. "Tell me!"_

Still trembling, he guides her hand to his right temple. Under her fingertips, she finds a jagged line of scar tissue, hidden beneath the slightly overgrown fuzz.

His voice barely scrapes past his lips. "You feel that?" 

When she nods, he eases his arm down, encasing her hand in both of his. "Control chips. When activated, we become droids. Do whatever the higher power wants of us. 

"It's what Fives died for. Uncovering that. Only a few of us took him seriously. Got it removed so when the orders came, we wouldn't... wouldn't..."

And he's sobbing, squeezing her hand beyond numb, and she can only take him in her free arm as they collapse to the floor. 

* * *

They sit alone in a private corner of the _Ghost,_ simply absorbing each other's presence. It's been too long, _far_ too long, and time has done a number on both of them. And Ahsoka is so desperately grateful they're here. 

Still splayed across his lap, she eases her weight off Rex's shoulder, his hands sliding comfortably to her hips as she turns to face him. She mirrors his light smile as she traces her fingers over his now smooth head, pausing over the fully healed scar resting above his right temple. 

She finds his gaze, and he offers her a short laugh. "This whole old things makes your hair thin out, and i didn't care for the new look. You should see Wolffe, though. Still got the military cut."

With a slight shake of her head, Ahsoka trails her hands down the side of his face. "Impressive beard, though."

His smile leaves her aching. "Never thought you'd see that, huh?"

"No." Her right hand finds his chin as she pulls him to her lips. "But it suits you."

She's missed this _desperately,_ the warmth behind his eyes and hands as he pulls her closer to him, her face still fitting perfectly into his neck. His beard begins to tickle the side of her montral, leaving them both laughing as she fights his tightened embrace. She brings him into another, longer kiss, savoring the surprising softness as his hands move in slow patterns across her back. This one moment, this glimpse of what they once had, is enough to make the last fifteen years, perhaps her whole lifetime, worth it. 


End file.
